Throughout the latest State Go to of President William Ruto and First Woman Rachel Ruto of the Republic of Kenya, america and Kenya introduced new initiatives and public diplomacy applications to raise tradition as a diplomatic platform that may deliver folks collectively, protect cultural heritage, and strengthen the economies of our two nations. The Division’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) will proceed america’ long-term investments throughout Africa to protect and defend cultural heritage and increase tourism. As well as, in partnership with key business leaders such because the Recording Academy, the College of Southern California College of Cinematic Arts, and different main personal sector and civil society establishments, america will launch new applications that may promote collaboration, construct capability, and bolster skilled inventive business ecosystems. By way of these initiatives, america and Kenya will join business leaders in music, movie, and tv and supply key technical and vocational expertise wanted to help a sustainable and thriving inventive infrastructure.
As a part of the shared deal with tourism and cultural heritage, the AFCP will help efforts led by the Nationwide Museums of Kenya to protect the archaeological web site of Takwa, a Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-century Swahili buying and selling city. AFCP tasks assist protect a variety of cultural heritage – together with historic buildings, archaeological websites, ethnographic objects, work, manuscripts, and indigenous languages and different types of conventional cultural expression – and contribute to native economies by supporting tourism. Since 2001, AFCP has invested $18.2 million within the preservation of cultural heritage in over 45 nations in Africa.
Starting this summer season, shared efforts to bolster Kenya’s rising inventive economic system will get underway. The ACTV will deliver tv professionals from Kenya and throughout the African continent to Los Angeles for a four-week residency on the College of Southern California College of Cinematic Arts, the place they are going to be mentored by American tv writers, producers, and business specialists. ACTV focuses on skilled growth and networking alternatives for tv writers, producers, and different technical fields comparable to artwork course, cinematography, modifying, and line producing.
As well as, mid-level music business professionals from Kenya will take part within the first-ever American Music Mentorship Program (AMMP), which is a partnership between the Division and the Recording Academy. AMMP connects worldwide mid-career music business professionals with mentors chosen by the Recording Academy. AMMP was first introduced by Secretary Blinken on the launch of the International Music Diplomacy Initiative in September 2023.
As a part of the Group Faculty Initiative Program (CCI) — which faucets into the U.S. neighborhood school system to offer academic and technical coaching to worldwide college students — america will present Kenyan college students with a tailor-made educational program at U.S. neighborhood faculties that may construct the scholars’ technical expertise in movie and tv manufacturing, improve their management capabilities, and put together them to enter the workforce upon returning to Kenya.
Lastly, as a part of the American Movie Showcase (AFS) program, the Movie and TV Management Initiative will deliver Kenyan and different African filmmakers to america for workshops and networking with their American counterparts, together with on the 2024 Middleburg Movie Pageant in Middleburg, VA. They can even interact with their American counterparts in Atlanta, GA; Los Angeles, CA; and Washington, DC;. The Division can even ship main U.S. movie and tv professionals to conduct workshops in Kenya as a reciprocal trade.
For extra info contact eca-press@state.gov.
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